To the Stars
by Lady Tanarion
Summary: Surviving the veil or not, Sirius Black was nothing special. Of that Snape was certain. [preHBP] [Slash]
1. Prologue

Title: To the Stars

Author: Tanarion

Rating: PG

Warnings: Rating is low for now, but I'll probably bump it up later for adult themes.

Summary: Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. Who is Sirius Black? the man's croak echoed in his ears.

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Prologue.

* * *

He shivered, clutching the frail remains of the blanket closer to himself. The stone walls were old and the mortar had long since crumbled, leaving space for a chill wind to bite. For a moment he wondered just how old the building was and thought that he might have known at one point.

The ruin of a castle was hardly distinguishable anymore from the bleak rocks it was built upon, and totally uninhabited by any other living being save him and the seagulls that nested at the rocky cliffs below. When the hunger became too much to bear, he would stagger his way down there and clumsily try and catch one of the flighty things, or steal a few eggs from their nests. The first few times he had done this, he had vomited up the raw meat, but eventually his body had adapted.

The wind from off the sea blew through the broken walls of the castle and cut sharply into his bones. He shivered again, absently, and looked up into the night sky.

He hated the storms that sometimes came overnight, making the wind sharper and bringing the wet that he couldn't hide from. Or even worse, when it brought the explosions from his throat and nose and made his body too hot no matter how cold it was. The moon, too, didn't make him feel right. It made him want to howl with the wind whistling by, and something told him that he wasn't the kind to do that. The sun was almost the worst, blinding the eye, or tormenting with comforting warmth that disappeared in a crash of the sea's waves.

But the stars—oh, the stars were true companions. Gentle and always there; he never tired of watching their dance across the sky.

He even had a favorite. The brightest one of all, it always twinkled down so merrily, he rather fancied it to be a friend—he didn't really know what that meant, but it sounded nice, like going to sleep warm with a full stomach.

He stretched a hand out towards the sky, towards that star, his star, and smiled. "Si…rius." His voice was hoarse from long disuse and it was hard to force any sound out. "Sir…ius. Sirius." That sounded right, somehow. And more than that, it sounded important.

"Sirius."

He would remember.

* * *

Woo. That's a strange one. I know I should be working on Love is Blind, but-- but--!! I got this idea and had to tap it out. And then I realized it had the makings for a possibly decent story, so I thought to put it here to see what you guys think.

R&R!


	2. Follow

Title: To the Stars

Author: Tanarion

Rating: PG

Warnings: Rating is low for now, but I'll probably bump it up later for adult themes.

Summary: Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. Who is Sirius Black? the man's croak echoed in his ears.

* * *

Reviews:

CuriousDreamWeaver: First reviewer yay! Glad you liked the beginning and the writing.

Tasogare no hime- This is as soon as possible, sorry… P.S. Princess of twilight?

Animagus Brushtail- No it really ain't… don't worry; it gets better! Ish.

Alynna Lis Eachann- Yeah, what fangirl isn't peeved at J.K.'s booting him off the island? But with the all mighty power of the keyboard, we can bring him back whenever we want. XP

scythe21- ::waves back:: And we're all wondering where this is going—me no less than you readers. n.n;;

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Follow.

* * *

Snape scowled at his dreary surroundings. He hated the wind. Living in the dungeons of Hogwarts had given him some measure of tolerance against the cold, but he detested the way the wind sent his cloak whipping about his ankles, making it hard to walk without tripping, and blowing air like ice up his trousers.

His last piece of information he was able to retrieve as a spy, and he wasn't even sure if the hint had any amount of truth in it. It would just be like that filthy little bugger to lie about something so important.

Important to Snape's side anyways; even if he would have preferred the dead to stay that way. The war was not going as well as they might have wanted, though that was rather expected; indeed it wasn't going well at all. And so the dour Potions Master trudged down the rocky path in search of something he wasn't sure truly existed any longer.

He would say it was merely because he wanted to get away from the cloying presence of so many Gryffindors. The truth was that even Severus could only stand so much gloom and depression and anything that could revive the spirits of the Order was worth trying.

Which was precisely why he hadn't even told Dumbledore the real reason for his trip. The way things were going, the crash resulting if their raised hopes proved false would be disastrous.

The castle, or at least what was left of the castle, was just ahead. Finally. The sooner Snape could get it over with, the sooner he could be away from the infuriating wind. Of the castle itself, the only thing left standing, it seemed, were the large iron doors, nearly twice his height and probably as wide as four of him. They were in almost perfect condition, while the rest of the place had decayed around them.

Severus might have laughed at the irony if he hadn't been so blasted cold. Instead, he stalked forward, slamming the doors open with a wave of his wand, which then crashed satisfyingly against the stone. From somewhere in the ruins there was a particularly animal-like yelp. Dog-like even.

Somewhere between hope and pessimism he started walking in the direction of the sound.

It was in the leeward side of the ruins that he eventually found himself. There the walls appeared to be the most intact; although there was still no escape from the wind. And huddled in the corner was a shivering pile of rags.

Bloody Merlin.

Snape staggered back into the wall behind him, clutching at the stone to keep himself upright. He stared at the other man in complete astonishment. Alive. Sirius Black was alive. He was alive?

_If Voldemort could avoid death, than anyone could_, the giddy thought ran through his mind.

He tried to get a grip on himself. With magic anything was possible, wasn't it? So it wasn't such a great feat. All Black had done was... fall through the veil into the world of the dead and survived where countless others had been obliterated. Nothing fantastic whatsoever.

Severus just barely managed to keep himself from giving into hysterical laughter.

No, Black was nothing special. It was just an insane fluke. Just like it was _mere coincidence_ that the man never once had to pay for the results of his actions, when Snape put his sweat and blood into--

No, Black was nothing special.

"Well, well. How the mighty have fallen," Snape sneered.

Black yelped again, like any other animal, and jerked up in surprise.

Severus felt some amusement from that, but surveying the pitiful remains of a once proud man, he felt some of it fade. The other man was painfully thin, even more so than when he had first escaped Azkaban. The Potions Master could easily count his ribs through the holes in the grimy robe and blanket. Black's hair had also grown long, gnarled and matted, somehow even filthier than the rest of his body.

Snape had thought he'd seen the animagus at his worst, that night at the Shrieking Shack, and had relished the pitiful state of the other man. Seeing him now looking even worse-- something he'd not thought possible-- gave him much less pleasure than he'd expected. He crossed his arms against the worry mounting in his stomach.

"Sirius Black. I suppose you're quite proud of yourself, escaping yet another consequence of your actions."

"Sirius," Black said hoarsely. Eyes that had been empty before gained a gleam. "Remember." He licked his cracked and bleeding lips, edging closer to Severus. "Who...who is Sirius Black?" The animagus stared at the Potions Master with a desperate need.

"You are, of course!" he snapped in reply. "Enough games, you childish, imbecilic--" The other man flinched away like a beaten dog and Severus felt the bottom of his world drop out. "You... truly do not remember?" he found himself whispering.

Black shook his head, looking at him fearfully.

Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. _Who is Sirius Black?_ the man's croak echoed in his ears.

* * *

"Severus, has something happened to keep you from contacting me in the fire?"

"No need to sound so worried, Albus; there just isn't anything flammable in the area. In any case, a simple Hear Me charm works just as well."

"Of course. Have you achieved your goal?"

"...You knew all along I wasn't looking for documents, didn't you?"

"I have known you for quite a while, Severus."

"Stop that. I can hear you twinkling even this far off."

"Anything you say, my boy."

"Hmm. Regardless of that... Albus, I found him... Albus?"

"We hadn't dared hope-- but entering the veil so unnaturally, there had been a possibility his body would have exited it--"

"--Albus--"

"--It will do young Harry good, I think, to be able to pay his respects to a real grave--"

"--_Albus_--"

"--indeed, it would do us all good--"

"--_He lives_--"

"... I beg your pardon?"

"Black. Lives."

"Great Merlin."

"Not so great. I think perhaps it might have been better for all of us if he'd have stayed dead..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Headmaster, that we have a problem."

* * *

Chapter One, woo. I had meant to get this out last week, but homework and other crud kept piling up. Well, here it is now, anyways.

Contribute to charity and R&R.


	3. Teach

Title: To the Stars

Author: Tanarion

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: PG-13 for alcohol intake. Rating is low for now, but I'll probably bump it up later for adult themes.

Summary: Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. Who is Sirius Black? the man's croak echoed in his ears.

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Reviews: 

Tasogare no Hime: Hey, Japanese class actually paid off. Neato. Thank you for the compliment!

TwilightArc: Nice "name," Fan-fan. XP I was rather amused by the twinkling also. Fixed the detached bit- I can't believe I didn't put a reaction in. Glad you liked the line, and no, I'm not going to leave off (and I'm not leaving off on any of the others either!). Updates every other Tuesday like clockwork! Goodness, you're going to be a bad influence on me. I might even end up... respectable:shudder:

Alynna Lis Eachann: Glad you liked the conversation, and more here much sooner than I usually manage.

CuriousDreamWeaver: I like to think I manage a fairly decent Snape, but it's always nice to get conformation! XP You know, you're the third person who liked the bit between Sev and Albus- I guess that means I'm doing something right. Now if only I could figure out what it is... lol.

Oya: Slash possibly. And everything else. XP. I'm not really certain yet, this whole thing is still under construction :puts on a hard hat:

MW: I shall endeavor to do my best. :grin:

Torny: You added me to your favs list? Oh stop, you're going to make me blush!

sparkling silver angel wings: I'm wondering if he'll get his memory back just as much as you. No joke; we'll have to see how the story folds out.

scythe21: I love interactive authors too- they're always more fun to review for. It kind of annoys me when an author doesn't respond, so I always try and make sure to personalize my replies. (Although it gets a little hard not repeating myself when all they say is that they liked it or to continue soon.)

Heart Of The Wizard: Thank you, and here is the update.

FT: But of course.

* * *

Must thank TwilightArc (formerly Authoress Pendragon) here for helping out so much in this chapter! Not only a wonderful beta, but also a fount of knowledge when it comes to how one drinks whiskey.

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Teach.

* * *

Snape stepped down the stairs of Twelve Grimmauld place carefully- a ghoul had recently taken up residence in the steps and seemed to spend its time tripping the unwary- carrying with him a rather large bottle of firewhiskey and a shot glass. Never had he been more thankful that the others were busy with plans for the holiday, leaving the Black family home empty. 

Unfortunately, they had managed to decorate the place in a 'suitably cheery' fashion before leaving; which meant walking into half of the abundant hanging streamers and getting a mouthful of imitation snow that the Christmas tree violently spewed out every few moments.

It was not worth such aggravation just to get to the kitchen to have a drink! In fact, he might well have given up on the whole idea, if it hadn't been for the noise he heard.

Years of being surrounded by clumsy students with volatile potions ingredients had honed his reflexes and he was instantly alert. Severus quietly placed the bottle and shot glass on a side table and stalked, silently as a cat, to the kitchen.

What he saw was not what he expected.

A familiar head of aggressively red hair, attached to a Weasley body in the throes of what appeared to be utter dejection.

Giving in to his first reaction, Snape demanded in a dangerously quiet voice, "Just what do you think you're doing here?"

The young man started, and looked around guiltily. "Professor Snape! I-"

The Potions Master did not allow him to continue. "Have you any idea what you are putting in jeopardy?" he hissed. "If you are seen- if your cover is broken-" Severus drew himself up, black robes draping around him in an imposing way. "Well?" he snarled, narrowing his eyes as his former student drew back in spite of himself. "What have you to say for yourself?"

Percy looked as if he would have wrung his hands, if not for the bottle of butterbeer occupying them. "Professor, I know- I... well, I made sure I wasn't followed." He shrugged uncomfortably and refused to meet the older man's eyes.

"I'm sure that gives me a great deal of comfort," the older man snarled sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I couldn't- stand- spending Christmas in that flat again. I know I can't talk to them, but- they were _here_," Percy finished desperately, begging Snape to understand.

Oh.

There was a moment of silence as Severus rearranged his thinking. The boy- young man, really- was a spy for their side and kept them informed on what the Ministry was up to. A very dangerous profession, especially when one took into consideration how crazed Fudge had been getting before he believed in the Dark Lord's return. Any connection to Dumbledore at that time would likely have resulted in being sent to Azkaban.

But what the Potions Master had forgotten, was that when he had first agreed to spy on the Dark Lord he had long since pushed away anyone he might have cared for. Snape hadn't had anything to lose.

Percy, on the other hand, had a rather large, loving family, whom he'd been forced to cut himself off from in order to keep an eye on the ministry and make Fudge believe that he couldn't be used to get to Arthur or Dumbledore.

He gave a small sigh and seated himself at the table. "This is a very bad idea," Severus warned the younger man, who sat up, blinking. Probably wondering why he had let him off so easily. Snape snorted. He didn't have enough energy to deal with something he couldn't do anything about, anyway. The brat was an adult, and supposedly could take care of himself.

Right.

Severus felt a headache starting to pound in his temples. He raised the wand still in his hand, enjoying the way the redhead shrank back at the movement. "Accio!" The firewhiskey and shot glass floated obediently into the room, landing neatly on the table. The Potions Master poured himself a shot while Percy stared at him in a mixture of apprehension and disbelief and watched the play of light in the red-gold liquid, not looking at the younger man.

"If you are indeed intelligent enough to have avoided being followed"- he paused here to sneer- "which we will discover soon enough, then you should be skilled enough to get a hold of a simple set of robes. Ones for a tall wizard, about a head taller than myself, and very simple to put on. Also some shirts and trousers."

The redhead looked even more confused, but Snape's now expressionless face wasn't revealing anything. Still, the Weasley looked pleased to have a clear order to follow. Severus's lip curled and he decided that if the little bugger tried to say anything pompous, he would chuck the glass right at his big head, propriety be damned! That mutt had better appreciate what he was going through to get him some decent clothing.

Snape knocked back the shot, welcoming the burn that spread from his stomach. When the Potions Master opened his eyes, the young man had wilted, morose once more. He resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes, instead summoning another glass. "There's no need for you to go at this moment. Here." He had the time, didn't he? With the only other occupant of the house upstairs, sleeping like the slightly insane, definitely infirm, and supposed-to-be-dead man that he was, Severus could afford to offer what little comfort he had to the bereft redhead.

The entirety of which was the two of them getting completely inebriated together.

"Happy Christmas, Mr. Weasley."

* * *

Contribute to charity and RR. 


	4. Confidence

Title: To the Stars

Author: Tanarion

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: PG-13 for suggested nudity I suppose. May be bumped up later for adult themes.

Summary: Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. Who is Sirius Black? the man's croak echoed in his ears.

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Reviews: 

TwilightArc: Stop, you're making me blush! And I think I'd like some firewhiskey, myself. Might be 'inspirational' eh? XD

Animagus Brushtail: You really haven't read that before about Percy? Awesome! I actually came up with an original idea! Yay!

Alynna Lis Eachann: Yeah, J.K. would never have Percy as a spy. But that's why there's fanon, too!

sparkling silver angel wings: You see, Sev's not a _complete_ bastard. He can be nice when he wants to be- unfortunately, that's not very often. XP

CuriousDreamWeaver: Thank ye kindly! It is a bit of a shame about Percy, isn't it:takes on a mystic tone of voice: But his situation will not stay that way, oh no. :grin:

Tasogare no Hime: You think so? Glad you like it. This story... will probably be slash; knowing my writing preferences, anyway. XP Although I'm not quite certain of what the pairings will be- even though I'm a great fan of SS/SB. (ever heard of Thin Line, a SS/SB fic archive? It is most awesome, and continually updated- tittis realm. com)

* * *

Confidence.

* * *

Sirius Black stared at the bathtub with suspicion. He didn't look quite like the puppy who thought he was going to be disciplined with some cruel and unusual punishment, but it was bloody close. 

Standing at the door, Severus let his arms fall to his sides from their folded position and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, for Merlin's sake- it's not going to bite you!" Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to drink that much firewhiskey; he had a headache that would blind a hippogryph.

"It's _just _water. And if you won't bathe, then you can just go back to your... castle." His lip curled in distaste. "I know _I_ can't stand the smell any longer." The animagus showed no sign of comprehension and merely looked at the Potions Master with his narrowed eyes.

Those dark eyes, dark as his hair, were like windows to a vacant room- yet sometimes bright and brimming with emotion.

Could the man truly not understand?

Severus never thought the day would come when he actually would've welcomed the distasteful antics of his former tormentor. It was a Black day among many black days, but this one was distinct with Fate's cynical red-marker humor.

"You spoke before- I know you are not completely an animal, despite your behavior. There is no reason why you should avoid bathing." He dipped a hand into the water, swirling it around a little. "See? Perfectly harmless." And among the other things of this day, he never thought he would have coax anyone into anything. He was used to scaring students into doing what they needed to, not this. This... this was not his strong point.

With obvious misgiving, Black slowly copied his movement, dipping his hand into the steamy water. Severus resisted the urge to think ofit as a paw, and forced something resembling a smile on his face. "There you go. So if you would just get the rest of you into the tub, you can get all cleaned up." _And dear Merlin, I sounded like an absolute twit._

Why not Poppy, or even Minerva? Someone-maternal. Someone that was not him! Severus Snape, one of three Potions Masters in all of Europe, was not suited to be a- a _caretaker_.

Looking away from Black's less than clothed body, he stared at the ceiling. "Perhaps this century, Bl-Mmph!" Snape pulled the sleeve from the ragged robes away from his mouth, appalled. He was just in time to duck another article of clothing thrown haphazardly by the animagus, who dived into the bathtub and promptly swamped the bathing room with soapy water.

Severus dragged sodden strands of hair from his eyes to glower at the other man. Sirius, of course, didn't notice, sunk blissfully up to his ears in warm water. "Of course. _Now_ he goes into the water," Snape muttered. He averted his eyes once again and occupied his time with slicking back his hair.

The sound of splashing filled the room but after a moment there was silence. From the corner of his eye he could see Black hesitantly holding a bar of soap. The other man stared at it long enough for Severus to start wondering if he would be required to help the man bathe, on top of everything else. But thankfully Sirius seemed to come to a conclusion and got to work soaping at his grimy body.

The Potions Master paused, and dropped his arms to his sides. _Not suspicious of the bath, but not really knowing what it was. _That was what Sirius had behaved like before, Snape realized. Now, few minutes after he had immersed himself the animagus was fully capable of bathing himself without direction. The two simply did not match.

_What had the veil done to Black?_

Another doubtful silence drew his attention back to where Sirius was looking uncertainly at the bottles of hair products- frozen once again with doubt. Severus moved to the tub to crouch beside the other man, heedless of the water soaking his robes further.

Surely it was memories that Black was lacking, ones that he was slowly gaining back. But were they really memories?

Or just... knowledge?

Severus glanced at the shelf built into the tiles above the bathtub. "There, that purple one is shampoo." Would Sirius understand?

After giving the Potions Master a questioning look, Black took hold of the right bottle and poured some of its contents into his palm.

_Does he only need to be reminded?_

He seemed to have gotten the idea, and scrubbed at his hair. Severus absently noted how very long the man's hair had gotten. It clung wetly to his too-thin rib cage and trailed in the cooling water. As it was, it nearly reached Black's lower back.

Snape sniffed, now noticing a fragrance starting to scent the air, and he sneered.

Of course, the bottle had been left by that Granger girl, so the smell of lavender filled the room fit to make him gag. However, the thought that the infamous Sirius Black would leave the bathroom smelling like a girl raised his spirits a little.

But only a little, since Black wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to appreciate it.

Severus sighed inwardly, and stood once more to avoid being splattered as Sirius rinsed his hair. He shouldn't be bothered about Black's mental state, it wouldn't be his problem much longer.

After all, once Dumbledore finished building his portkey that would get Snape and the animagus into Hogwarts with no one the wiser, it would be over. Sirius would be in the Headmaster's much more capable hands, and the Potions Master could get back to his dungeons to do what he did best.

With a look at Black's nearly completed bath, he picked up a set of robes he had- borrowed- from Kingsley off of the sink. Well, the wizard was the only one with any height comparable to Sirius, and it wasn't as if he could wait around naked until Percy returned with what was needed.

He just hoped the animagus would "remember" how to put on a robe.

* * *

Contribute to charity and RR. 


	5. Knowledge

Title: To the Stars

Author: Tanarion and I must now admit that this fic could not have gotten past the first chapter without the lovely **TwilightArc.** She is offically now my co-author!

Rating: PG

Warnings: Back down to PG, I guess. Nothing racy today folks! Rating will be bumped up later.

Summary: Snape stared in horror at the terrified wreck before him. Who is Sirius Black? the man's croak echoed in his ears.

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Reviews: 

Alynna Lis Eachann: Problem? ...Sirius's messed up brain? Or... the lavender scented shampoo? XD

Delta74: Thank you, I hope you continue to read!

CuriousDreamWeaver-snerk- And considering the size of his nose, he would be able to smell the lavender quite well...

Tasogare no Hime: Really? Mine too :P You liked that image? Thanks for letting me know.

sparkling silver angel wings: o.O Okay... I'm not going to ask. Glad you like Sirius.

mon: Thanks; here you go!

Forrest: Soon? What is this "soon" you speak of? Soon as possible, anyway!

phantomofinferno: Hey, thanks. So you like that line, eh -grin-

* * *

Knowledge.

* * *

Dumbledore had suggested reading to the animagus in hopes that it might trigger a memory, and Snape had viewed the idea with distaste, at first, but the unnatural silence goaded him to pick through his shelf. His original idea was to read some histories or one of the student instruction books because they might be something familiar to Black. 

Unfortunately, it just resulted in sending them both to sleep.

How did he get himself into this? One would _think_ that the step from understanding what is said to actually speaking would be natural. But, of course, Black would prove to be obstinate even in this small thing.

He scowled at the other man's form curled up before the fire. Even the irony of the canine-like pose afforded him little amusement.

Why had he allowed Albus to talk him into such idiocy?

_Well, my boy, he seems to trust you well enough._ Twinkle, twinkle_. And who better to watch over him and help him recover but a Potions Master such as yourself?_ Another twinkle_. I have the utmost faith in you, Severus._ Twinkle some more.

And so Sirius Black was 'safely' installed into Snape's private quarters at Hogwarts for the rest of the Christmas Holiday- and for an unnamed duration afterwards. Blast the man and those blue eyes! More powerful than any Imperious, and that was the truth.

What could he have possibly done to warrant such torture? Or was it to be like Alice down the rabbit hole; the punishment before the crime? Severus snorted. He would probably have to kill the Pope as an equal crime to deserve this particular punishment.

Snape found himself looking at Sirius again. Why would the man still not speak? He picked up everything else quickly enough. From bathing to eating to-to playing chess for Merlin's sake! But no speech, and no memories. There was never a spark of recognition in Black's eyes.

Sometimes he wasn't sure whether it was that or the silence that bothered him more.

And speaking of silence... Severus frowned. Black wasn't even fidgeting or making any overt sign of being alive. "Black?"

The other man shifted a little and looked up. Alive, then. And by the gleam in Sirius' eyes, expectant. The animagus had come to know the evening as their reading time, and even seemed to enjoy it. Merlin knew why, Snape thought inwardly; it was awkward and a more than a little embarrassing. Though perhaps that was the reason why Black enjoyed it.

Severus sighed, and Black sat up straighter, sensing that he had won. "Stop smirking at me," the Potions Master grumbled at him on the way to the bookshelf. He ignored Sirius' answering snicker, and searched through the shelves for a decent book, something that might get more of a reaction out of Black than amusement or confusion.

For such a book, Snape had to push around books in his mini library in the corner of his room. Some tomes on the bottom shelf were dusty from disuse and it was these that he paid special attention to. Finally, he blinked.

A "Flower Faeries Birthday Book"?

He blinked again, and quietly set the book aside to be destroyed later.

Severus finally settled on a book of poetry and opened it to a random page. He went back to sit in his chair and found that Black was still watching him. Seeing the open book, Black quirked an eyebrow, as if wondering what the selection would be _this_ time.

He ignored the look and focused on the page he had opened the book to and started to read aloud.

"_Whispers of heavenly death murmur'd I hear,  
Labial gossip of night, sibilant chorals,  
Footsteps gently ascending, mystical breezes wafted soft and low,  
Ripples of unseen rivers, tides of a current flowing, forever flowing,  
(Or is it the splash of tears? the measureless waters or human tears?) _

I see, just skyward, great cloud masses,  
Mournfully slowly they roll, silently swelling and mixing,  
With a times a half-dimm'd, sadden'd far off star,  
Appearing and disappearing.

(Some parturition rather, some solemn immortal birth;  
On the frontiers to eyes impenetrable,  
Some soul is passing over.)"

How very… appropriate. Severus wondered why he didn't read the book more often.

The poem had an effect on Sirius as well. The man looked to be actively contemplating what he had just heard, instead of just absorbing the words as normal. His mouth moved to mimic the words, but he made no sound.

The Potions watched him for a moment, wondering- fine, fine _hoping_- that the man would finally speak as he had not since that first day at the castle ruins.

Sirius shook his head and turned around to look at the fire. Snape gave it up for a lost cause and set the book on small table beside his chair. He had work to do, he told himself, trying not to be disappointed.

He felt Black's eyes on him as he stood up again to get his materials together and sit down at his work desk. Snape was used to the intense interest by now, at least to the point where could ignore it when he needed to do something else that didn't include Black.

His materials gathered, the professor pulled out the year's scheduled curriculum and was reminded how much he despised the Education Department at the Ministry. Exactly how was one supposed to _recognize_ a lethal poison when one was only taught cures? Reading a description of a poison out of a book wasn't half as memorable as making the poison yourself.

The quill in his hand stilled. "Black, what are you doing?"

Said man was standing behind Severus, looking over the professor's shoulder.

Sirius only leaned a little closer, as if to read what Snape was writing. Severus didn't know whether to push the man out of his personal space or encourage the man's interest. "Don't hover over me," he finally snapped. Black gave him a hurt look. "If you feel you must watch what I'm doing, have the decency to pull up a chair," Snape added and with a flick of his wand summoned the chair over.

The animagus grinned and obediently plopped himself into the seat.

"Thank you."

Severus froze once more. He turned to look at the other man, who frowned at him. "Thank you?" Sirius repeated, this time with less certainty. Two weeks of waiting, of silence- to be broken by such a casual 'thank you'? From _Black_, who would rather have been beaten to death before admitting Snape had done something for him (reluctant though it might have been).

At the completely stunned look on Severus' face, the animagus looked more than a little amused. "Thank you!" he said once more, and then laughed.

* * *

The poem Sev recites is Walt Whitman's _Whispers of Heavenly Death._ An amazing poet, and quite an extraordinary fellow. 

'Fraid I must apologize for my extreme tardiness in uploading this chapter! Schoolwork has been a pain, and I've just recently been made Assistant Director in my school's theatre, so I'm practically living in there! So all my fics have been put on hiatus- I'll put up chapters when I have a chance!

Thanks for your patience.

Contribute to charity and RR.


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